


Homesickness

by 11tol_tsukki11



Series: Laurent King's Hogwarts Adventures [15]
Category: Harry Potter - Fandom, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Hogwarts Mystery, Video Game: Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery - Fandom
Genre: Bisexual Male Character, Denial of Feelings, F/M, Internalized Homophobia, Love Triangles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-22
Updated: 2019-06-22
Packaged: 2020-05-16 08:22:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19314322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/11tol_tsukki11/pseuds/11tol_tsukki11
Summary: The sun rises once again in Hogwarts. Everyone is sleeping peacefully... scratch that. Everyone except Lau is sleeping, as homesickness starts haunting him. Luckily, help arrives.





	Homesickness

**Author's Note:**

> This falls under the category: Lau is a complete disaster.

It was early. Way too early to be awake. The majority of Hogwarts’ students were asleep, lost in their dreams and subconsciously hoping they won’t get to wake up soon and go to class. Who wanted to go to class anyway ? The preference was clear: if you had the choice, staying in bed and sleeping was best. Luckily for these students, it was five in the morning. Classes were only starting a few hours later.

The sun was slowly rising in the sky, giving it pinkish hues as well as a light blue tone, making it look like a painting that Badeaa Ali would most certainly make. The young Ravenclaw, however, was sleeping. Lau was certain that she would love to paint that sight, though... because he absolutely loved it. Everyone would. Sitting against a tree, he admired that breathtaking view, refusing to close his eyes for the slightest second. No way he’d miss a single piece of that wonderful show... but he wasn’t up at such an early hour only to stare at the sky. Ok, maybe that was a lie. A half-lie, perhaps. Laurent bit his lip at that thought. Yeah, definitely a half-lie... since he was staring at the sky because it reminded him of home. Yes, a lot of people called Hogwarts their home, but that couldn’t possibly apply to the young Slytherin.

He grew up in the countryside, alongside the nature and the animals and the river surrounding his family’s farm. His mother, Jeanne Clemence, would grow flowers and fruits and sell them, sometimes even sell whole pies and jars of juicy jam. Just thinking of her food, Lau could actually smell it. Man, memory is truly a crazy thing, with how it can recreate something piece by piece just for you... his father, Charles King, would take care of the animals: shave the sheep, milk the cows, all that jazz. It was a nice little business, and Lau had a great time growing up here... but then, at seven years old, everything stopped as his mother died of an illness that wasn’t quite known yet. Even now, Lau refused to investigate it. He didn’t want to put a name to what killed his ma. He could, however, put a name to what happened to his da: madness. He found a way to blame his son for his wife’s death, telling him that he demanded too much attention from her and it ultimately exhausted her to the point of sickness. Too much attention !? He was a child ! He had basic needs, such as getting fed and cuddled, but he never acted like a spoiled brat when his mother was busy ! Then, his dad spiralled downwards, shutting himself out from his friends and his son. Lau was... helpless. Completely helpless. Luckily, though, his brother helped. And a friend of his late mother.

Things were hard at the farm.

But Laurent King missed it dearly. What he missed most was the sunrise. He thought that Hogwarts’ would give him the same feeling as the one at the farm, but... it didn’t. He felt like he was staring at a different sky from a different world. A world he still didn’t really feel like he belonged. He was a Muggleborn, after all. How could he ever properly fit in ?

Homesickness. Yes, that was what he was feeling. And he fucking hated it. Why would he miss such a messed up household ? Maybe because it was all he had. It was the only thing that came from his short-lived childhood that was still somehow intact. His dad changed, but the trees didn’t. The river didn’t. Hell, even the smell didn’t change, that faint scent of flowers, dirt and cow poop (that’s how farms are). Part of him was still clinging to his younger years, it seemed.

Let go. Just let it go !, he thought to himself. But that was no easy feat. Did Ben Copper felt the same thing ? Him, another Muggleborn ? Huh... he should ask him. Maybe he’ll feel less lonely if Ben feels the same. And maybe-

“Laulau ?”

The boy practically had a heart attack at that sudden noise, jolting and hitting the back of his head against the tree.

“Ah, fuck !” he exclaimed, rubbing his skull.

Man, that’s going to leave one hell of a bruise. He patted his hair, trying to soothe the pain, and then turned around to see Penny Haywood. Penny Haywood !?

“P-Penny ?”

To get here, Lau had to sneak out of the Common Room, and then the castle. It was a pretty complicated thing to accomplish, especially with Mrs Norris roaming the halls and who might go get Filch as soon as she spots a student. How did Penny managed to get out ? Did she struggle as much as Lau did ? Plus, this whole feat was against the school’s rules... and it wasn’t Penny’s style to break rules.

He remembered when she brewed that Forgetfulness Potion. Ok, maybe she was able to break rules. He stared at her friend, bemused, and couldn’t manage a word. The blonde smiled softly. Her lip gloss had a faint glint in the sunlight. Lip gloss ? Was she already all set for the day ? Questions kept appearing in Lau’s mind.

“I told you, Lau. You’re a terrible liar” the young girl giggled softly.

She sat next to him, against the tree, their shoulders now brushing against each other. Lau felt a faint shiver going through his body.

“A... terrible liar ?”

“Yes” Penny replied, nodding. “Remember that time at Flying Class ? You told me and Rowan you weren’t really missing home. Your left eye twitches when you lie, I noticed that”

The Slytherin blushed brightly. Did he really do that !? How come she notice that ?? And how did she find him ? As he opened his mouth to ask that last question, she spoke again:

“We’re quite opposite, you know. I mean, in certain ways... I like potions, you despise it. I mostly follow the rules, you often break them... so I thought, where would I go if I was upset ? You know that already: up in the Astronomy Tower”

Lau remembered that time he comforted her about a lot of things troubling her. The girl smiled.

“So I figured: if I go up, you go down” she said, raising then lowering her finger. “Then, I was at the Tower pretty late... so you’ve got to be brooding early”

“That’s a lot of assumptions”

“But they worked, didn’t they ?”

Indeed. They worked. Penny managed to read him like an open book, and he wasn’t sure if he liked it... but he’ll let it slide. Because it’s Penny. He even smiled.

“You’re a genius, Haywood”

“No, I’m just worried about my friend... don’t you want to talk about it ?”

He shrugged.

“I mean, you’ve got it figured out: you knew I lied when I told you I wasn’t missing home. I do miss it... but it’s a bittersweet feeling. I love home, but I also... I also hate it”

He never really talked about this to anyone. Was he ready to open up to Penny ? Did he want to open up to Penny ? His heart answered yes. So he told her everything. His ma’s pies and jam, his da shaving the sheep, the family’s farm, his ma’s death, his da’s downfall... the words were spilling out of his mouth, and soon enough Lau found out he had no control over what he was saying. The words were simply going out as smoothly as a waterfall, and Penny listened without interrupting him once. When he finished, there was silence for a moment. An awfully long moment for Lau, but it lasted in fact only a few seconds as Penny was thinking of what she could say. Finally, she took his hand. His, slender and rough, hers, delicate, yet somewhat shaky. An odd match, but a good one.

“I understand how that must feel... I’d say my place is pretty normal. I mean, if you exclude the fact some of us are wizards” she giggled. “I’m Half-Blood, you know ? My parents are... pretty protective, honestly. And doting ! My mom still pins my exams to the fridge !”

Lau couldn’t help but laugh. He wasn’t really noticing that Penny was trying to make him feel better by telling him funny things, but it was working.

“My mum was... well, I know who I got my impulsiveness and recklessness from” Lau snickered.

Penny jokingly slapped his arm, but she hit a little bit harder than she originally intended.

“Stop ! You know I hate it when you pull those dangerous stunts during Quidditch matches ! You could get hurt !”

Slap ! Slap ! She kept hitting him, and he laughed again, raising his arms in an attempt to protect himself.

“Ok, ok ! I’ll try and be careful... emphasis on try !”

This time, they both laughed. A clear, joyous laugh. They went on quite a tangent, from talking about family to Quidditch... but it was much needed. Sometimes, you just need a distraction from what’s troubling you. Penny slid a little closer.

“I suppose everyone at Hogwarts feels homesickness... but at least, you’re not alone, mmm ? You have me, Barnaby, Rowan, Tulip... we’ll always be here for you”

She blushed sightly as she added:

“I’ll always be here for you, Laurent”

Laurent. Not Laulau, the nickname she’d usually call him. Hearing her saying his complete name made the situation feel more... serious. He immediately knew that she was entirely sincere. For a moment, his heart started to beat faster, and seeing that lip gloss on her lips made him feel a weird tingle in his stomach... the same tingle he’d feel around Barnaby. He recalled that day when he admitted to him that he liked girls and boys. At that moment, Lau had swore himself to ask Barnaby out... but fear held him back for days. Even if Barnaby was ok with his preferences, it didn’t mean he liked Lau. And... and Lau was still terrified. Part of him remained deeply insecure about all of this, and he dreaded his friends and classmates’ reactions.

‘So what if we’re men ?’ Diego had once told him.

If only he could be this confident ! But he couldn’t. Not about this. Not right now. He won’t go to the ball with Barnaby. This was too soon. Way too soon... he swallowed with difficulty, then stared at Penny, someone he also liked dearly... maybe even more than originally intended.

(Just like Barnaby)

“Do you want to go to the Ball with me ?”


End file.
